So… where did March go, exactly? At least for me, that entire month disappeared under a mountain of writing projects and pressing adult responsibilities, and so I apologize to those of you who have enjoyed this blog that I haven’t had anything up here since February (save my new podcast Meeting Cute, which you should absolutely check out! Five episodes down, many more to go!). But, in an attempt to right the ship somewhat, we are returning to our regularly-scheduled Monthly Preview post, and hopefully in the next few days I will write something about the movies I’ve enjoyed most since I disappeared for the length of March. But first, let’s take a look at April’s offerings:

Now that we’ve survived the snooze of January, it’s time to kick off February, which as usual features a nice little line-up of niche movies that should help liven up the unseasonably-warm doldrums of the shortest month. My limited (but exciting!) selections follow:

2015 is dead. Long live 2016! And let us celebrate the reign of the new calendarial overlord with… January, I guess? Because nothing rings in the New Year like another disappointingly slim selection of no-man’s-land movies and long-delayed write-offs. Thanks Hollywood! But honestly, cinematically-speaking this is still looking like a better January than most. Let’s see why.

This is it, folks: the last month of 2015. It’s been a damn good year with tons of great films, and that trend looks to continue right up to the final buzzer. And for me, it feels like the whole year has just been a prelude to the last two films on this list. These films are the latest installments in cinematic bloodlines that have defined movies for me as much as anything else that ever hit the big screen, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next. Chances are you can probably guess which ones those are in advance, but for those who can’t you can see for yourself after the jump.

Welcome to November! This month features a definitive Fall Movie Season schedule, mixing awards-bait dramas and late-year blockbusters, with some comedies added for good measure. What’s particularly notable (if not all that surprising) is that almost half of the movies on my list come out on Thanksgiving weekend, which should make for a lot of cinematic joy between the turkey and football and shopping deals. But besides that, there are more than enough good-looking films to fill the time between now and Tryptophan-o’clock. Let’s take a look at what November has in store for us.

Following the very stacked and very satisfying collection of films that September brought us is no easy feat, but October is certainly going for it. This time around, we are graced with a bunch of A-list behind-the-camera talents that should hopefully bring us some really impactful films. While this ultimately seems like a very serious, drama-heavy month, it should at the very least be very very GOOD drama, as you’ll see after the jump.

This month’s schedule is a microcosm of the classic September lineup, as much so as either of the past two Septembers I’ve previewed. It’s a month full of dark horse films, the sort of movies that don’t fully fall into any particular studio promotional box. For those complaining about how superhero movies are drowning out the serious midrange adult dramas, this is the month to put your money where your mouth is. But even if those sorts of movies aren’t your thing, there are more than enough alternatives to balance them out.